The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[+]

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Monday, February 10, 2014

Vatican City, 9 February 2014 (VIS) –
At midday today Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study to
pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square
and, before the Marian prayer, he commented on this Sunday's Gospel
reading in which Jesus says to his disciples, “You are the salt of
the earth … You are the light of the world”.

“It is rather surprising, if we
consider to whom Jesus addressed these words. Who were those
disciples? They were fishermen, simple people. But Jesus saw them
through God's eyes, and his statement may be understood precisely as
a consequence of the Beatitudes. He meant to say, if you are poor in
spirit, if you are meek, if you are pure of heart, if you are
merciful .. you will be the salt of the earth and the light of the
world!”

And to better understand the meaning of
Christ's phrase, the Holy Father explained that Jewish law prescribed
the addition of a little salt to every offering presented to God, as
a sign of alliance, and light was for Israel the symbol of the
messianic revelation, triumphant over the darkness of paganism.
“Christians, the new Israel, therefore received a mission in
relation to all mankind: with faith and charity they were able to
guide, consecrate and make fruitful all humanity. We all, as
baptised persons, are missionary disciples, and are called to become
a living gospel in the world: by a holy life we bring 'flavour' to
many contexts, and defend them against corruption, like salt; and we
will bring the light of Christ with our witness of true charity”.

But if we Christians “lose our
flavour, and renounce our presence as salt and light, we lose our
effectiveness. But our mission to bring light to the world is
beautiful! … And it is also beautiful to preserve the light we have
received from Jesus. … The Christian must be a luminous person, who
brings light, who always gives light! … A light that is not his or
hers, but rather a gift from God, and a gift from Jesus. And we bring
this light. If the Christian allows this light to be extinguished,
his life no longer has meaning; he is a Christian by name only”.

The Pope concluded by asking the
faithful in the square if they wanted to live as shining lamps or as
lights that had gone out; when they responded, “Shining lamps!”,
he added, “It is God himself who gives us this light, and we offer
it to others. Shining lamps! This is the Christian vocation”.

Vatican City, 9 February 2014 (VIS) –
Following today's Angelus prayer, the Pope recalled that next
Tuesday, 11 February, the feast of the Virgin of Lourdes, will also
be World Day of the Sick, “a propitious occasion for placing the
sick at the centre of the community”, and he asked all those
present to pray for them and with them, and to be close to those
suffering ill-health. “In particular, let us imitate Jesus'
attitude towards the sick, those who suffered from every type of
malady: the Lord cares for all, shares in their suffering and opens
hearts to hope”.

He also gave thanks to all healthcare
professionals for their valuable work. “Every day they encounter in
the sick not merely bodies marked by fragility, but also people, to
whom appropriate attention and responses must be given. The dignity
of the person is never reduced to his or her faculties or capacities,
and is no less when that person is weak, disabled or in need of help.
I also think of families, where it is normal to care for those who
are sick; but at times the situation can become more difficult. ...
Many people write to me, and today I would like to assure a prayer to
all these families, and I say to them: do not be afraid of fragility!
Help each other with love, and you will all be aware of God's
consoling presence”.

The Bishop of Rome mentioned that in
these days the Winter Olympics will begin in Sochi, Russia, and
greeted all the organisers and athletes, expressing his hope that it
will be “a true celebration of sport and friendship”.

Finally, Pope Francis offered some
words to those affected by natural disasters in various countries,
including those here in Rome. He assured them of his closeness and
commented, “nature challenges us to be united and attentive in
caring for his Creation, also to prevent, as far as possible, the
most serious consequences”.

Vatican City, 8 February 2014 (VIS) –
The Church in Sri Lanka was consecrated to the Virgin seventy-five
years ago, and to mark this occasion, the faithful of the island have
made a pilgrimage to Rome, where they were greeted this morning by
Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica. The Holy Father commented that
shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, the archbishop
of Colombo, Jean-Marie Masson, made a vow to build a shrine in honour
of Our Lady if the island were preserved from foreign invasion. So it
came about that after the end of the war the Shrine of Our Lady of
Lanka at Tewatte was constructed.

“Our Lady is always close to us, she
looks upon each one of us with maternal love and accompanies us
always on our journey”, said the Pontiff. “Do not hesitate to
turn to her for every need, especially when the burden of life with
all its problems makes itself felt”.

“Your homeland is called the Pearl of
the Indian Ocean, on account of its natural beauty and its shape”,
he continued. “They say that the pearl is formed from the tears of
the oyster. Unfortunately, many tears have been shed in recent years,
on account of the internal conflict which caused so many victims and
so much damage. It is not easy, I know, to heal the wounds and
cooperate with yesterday’s enemy to build tomorrow together, but it
is the only path that gives hope for the future, for development and
for peace. For this reason, I assure you that you have a particular
place in my prayer. I ask the Lord to grant you the gift of peace and
reconciliation, and to help you in your effort to ensure a better
future for all who live in Sri Lanka”.

The Pope concluded by entrusting the
faithful to the maternal intercession of Mary, Our Lady of Lanka, and
asked them to pray for him.

Vatican City, 7 February 2014 (VIS) –
The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Angelo Amato
S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. During
the audience he authorised the promulgation of decrees concerning the
following causes:

MARTYRDOM

- Servant of God Francesco Zirano,
Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual
killed in hatred of the faith in Algiers, Algeria, Czech Republic in
1603.

- Servants of God Paolo Yun Ji-chung,
layperson, and 123 companions killed in hatred of the faith in Korea
between 1791 and 1888.

Vatican City, 8 February 2014 (VIS) –
In a letter made public today, written in Latin and dated 16 January,
the Holy Father nominated Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, prefect
of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the
Sacraments, as his special envoy to Panama for the concluding
celebrations for the jubilee year for the fifth centenary of the
erection of the first diocese (Santa Maria la Antigua) on the
American Continent, scheduled to take place from 14-15 February 2014.

- appointed Rev. Moses Hamungole as
bishop of Monze (area 61,160, population 1,682,000, Catholics
302,205, priests 81, religious 166), Zambia. The bishop-elect was
born in Kafue, Zambia in 1967 and was ordained a priest in 1994. He
holds a licentiate in social communications from the Pontifical
Gregorian University, Rome, and a doctorate in social communications
from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. He has served in the
following pastoral and administrative roles: vicar of the “New
Kanyama” and “Railway-Chowa” parishes, director of Radio
Yatsani and the communications office of the archdiocese of Lusaka,
secretary for communications for the AMECEA in Nairobi, Kenya, and
president of SIGNIS, Africa. He is currently director of English and
Kishwahili programmes for Vatican Radio. He succeeds Bishop Emilio
Patriarca, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same
diocese, upon having reached the age limit, was accepted by the Holy
Father.

- appointed Msgr. Demetrio Jiminez
Sanchez-Mariscal, O.S.A., as bishop prelate of the territorial
prelature of Cafayate (area 46,847, population 64,572, Catholics
57,352, priests 13, permanent deacons 1, religious 31), Argentina.
The bishop-elect was born in Los Carralbos, Spain in 1963, took his
perpetual vows in 1986 and was ordained a priest in 1988. He holds a
licentiate in philosophy from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas
Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome, and a Master's degree in Science of
Religions from the Pontifical Comillas University of Madrid, Spain.
He has served in a number of pastoral and academic roles, including
professor and bursar of the monastery of Santa Maria de la Vid,
Burgos, Spain, vicar of the parish of San Manuel y San Benito,
Madrid, vicarial secretary of the Agostinian region of San Jose,
Argentina, regional vicar of the Agostinian Order in Argentina and
Uruguay, priest of San Agustin in Buenos Aires, lecturer in the
Tagaste Agostinian centre for theological studies and in the
Instituto Teologico Escurialense, affiliated to the Pontifical
University of Salamanca, visiting professor in theology of religions
and interreligious dialogue in the Centro di Misionologia del Cono
Sur Juan Pablo II, co-ordinator general and ordinary professor of the
Escuela di Teologia y Ciencias Religiosas of the prelature of
Cafayate, adjunct professor of philosophy at the Catholic University
of Argentina, and associate professor in the faculty of philosophy at
the St. Thomas Aquinas University in Buenos Aires. He currently works
in the “Nuesta Senora de la Candelaria” parish and legal
representative of the San Agustin college in Catamarca, Cafayate. He
succeeds Bishop Mariano Anastasio Moreno Garcia, O.S.A., whose
resignation from the pastoral care of the same territorial prelature,
upon having reached the age limit, was accepted by the Holy Father.

On Saturday, 8 February, the Holy
Father:

- appointed Msgr. Fabio Fabene, office
head of the Congregation for Bishops, as under-secretary of the Synod
of Bishops.

- appointed Rev. John Keenan as bishop
of Paisley (area 580, population 372,800, Catholics 88,600, priests
58, permanent deacons 6, religious 37), Scotland. The bishop-elect
was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1964 and was ordained a priest in
1995. He holds a “Bachelor of Laws” degree from the University of
Glasgow, a licentiate in philosophy and a baccalaureate in theology
from the Gregorian Pontifical University. He has served in a number
of pastoral roles, including vicar of the parish of “Christ the
King” in King's Park, and chaplain of the Holyrood Secondary School
in Glasgow. He is currently chaplain of the University of Glasgow,
priest of the parish of “St. Patrick's” in Anderston, and
director of vocations for the archdiocese of Glasgow.

Vatican City, 10 February 2014 (VIS) –
No VIS bulletin will be transmitted tomorrow, the eighty-fifth
anniversary of the institution of Vatican City State by the signing
of the Lateran Pacts. Service will resume on Wednesday, 12 February.